Ration Challenge 2018

I have come to appreciate the little extras and how much difference they can make to a meal. A sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon makes a tasty breakfast with a flour and water crepe - so much nicer than the congee of the first few days!Some spices add interest and flavour to very basic ingredients. And I am actually not really missing 'normal' food - I'm enjoying the challenge of trying to make tasty food out of not much. No doubt this would be different week in, week out, without the knowledge of an ending to the rationing. I am surprised by how much variety can come out of a few basic ingredients. The refugees who have shared some of the recipes for this challenge have been very resourceful. Today I had lentil soup for lunch, and falafel with rice and beans for dinner. When asked what I'm missing, it's really just the variety. I would love more vegetables and fruit. Today is world refugee day and I've been reading stories of refugees from various ...

The thought of that Congee for breakfast filled me with disgust this morning. I couldn't face it! I tried to stave off the hunger with cups of water, but eventually gave in. Having 'earned' some milk and sugar through sponsorship I decided to heat a little congee and treat it like porridge, with milk and sugar on it. More palatable, but still not the best (it probably doesn't help that I don't like porridge either!). My mind is drifting to food often. Those pears in the fruit bowl look so good! I have leftovers from yesterday for lunch and dinner, so that is something to look forward to, but now I have to wait with a rumbly tummy for lunchtime to roll around. Lunch is flatbread (I made them with flour and water, fried in a little oil) and 'hummus' - chickpeas blended with water and a little oil. Not bad, but there's not much. If it had a decent side salad it would be better! I'm eyeing up the mandarins on the tree in the garden, wondering if I ca...

Grocery shopping was a bit different this week. I shopped for the family as usual, but seperately for me. I had a list of supplies that Syrian refugees recieve so I bought those for my ration challenge week. The list sounded restricted - rice, chickpeas, lentils, flour, kidney beans, oil, sardines. But I did not realise just how little they get to survive on. When I measured each supply out at home I was surprised by the small amounts. Mostly rice, and a few other bits and pieces. Here's the list: Rice - 1.9kg Flour - 400g Chickpeas - 85g Lentils - 175g Kidney beans - 1 tin Tomatoes - 1 tin Vegetable oil How will I go eating only this for a week? I'm sure I will dislike rice for a while after this! I have chosen to swap sardines for a tin of tomatoes. I have also 'earnt' a few extras by getting sponsorship. In refugee camps people might be able to supplement their rations with money earnt from work, selling crafts etc. I can use a spice, seasonings, and hav...

DAY ONE - ANTICIPATION Sunday - usually a relaxed easy start to the day with a leisurely breakfast. Not today. I am sitting waiting for my 'congee' to cook. That's a pot of rice with lots of water - it needs to cook for about 45mins until the rice breaks apart - I guess it's kind of rice soup! That's my breakfast for the next 3 days - smells ok - doesn't look that appetising!   It's hard not to carry on with regular habits. I stood by the coffee machine and automatically turned it on to make a hot chocolate - only to realise I couldn't do that! The apples and mandarins in the fruit bowl look good to munch on while waiting for my congee to cook, but I can't do that eaither. Instead I sat down to watch some footage of refugees, to remind myself why I am doing this. It's not only to raise money to help, but also to raise awareness, to get people thinking about the plight of the refugees. I just can't imagine not only eating like this regu...